10 effective product launch ideas that work

Launching a product is a bit like introducing your significant other to your parents for the first time.

You want to prepare the audience for what’s about to hit them. But you never know how they’ll react.

The question is – how do you get that first impression right?

While we don’t take credit for being experts in relationships (sorry, you’re on your own there), we have seen more than a million products on the Sellfy platform to be able to tell what product launch event ideas work and which ones are simply not worth your effort.

These 10 ultimate product launch ideas from top sellers will help you get started no matter if it’s your first – or 10th product launch.

Ready to get your e-commerce baby out into the world? Let’s get going.

1. Create content that highlights your product

Data shows that content marketing offers three times the leads of traditional marketing, while costing around 62% less. So it’s not really a question of whether you should be creating content to promote your newly launched product, but what kind of content you should focus on.

One of the most effective ways to attract the customer’s attention and to highlight the benefits of your product is by creating videos.

Video content has been proven to demand more consumer attention than any other medium. And since YouTube is the second most visited website right after Google, you should be tapping into that unexplored customer base starting…right about now.

Here’s a great example of how to launch a brand new product. Music producer DECAP makes drum beats and posts short videos on his YouTube and social media pages for every new sound kit he creates. That way, the customers get to see (and in this case – hear) what they’re about to purchase.

Or think outside the box and get more into the details about your product like Sorelle Amore did with her Lightroom presets:

If you don’t have the necessary skill set or tools to be making videos, other forms of content that can highlight your product include:

• Blogs
• Ebooks
• Games
• Infographics

2. Reveal how the product was made

Behind the scenes videos and photos are always a good idea. Period.

First of all, this kind of content is fairly easy to make since all you have to remember is capture the production process along the way.

Secondly, behind the scenes videos reveal the personality of your brand and by extension – get people interested in your newly launched product. Here’s a great example of what we mean.

Videographer Peter McKinnon sells a sound pack of 50 different sound effects. The unique catch here is that all the sounds originated from his mouth only. He used that as an advantage and created a fun behind the scenes video where you can see Peter whooshing, spitting, punching into the microphone as music producer Andrew Huang records the sound variations.

Take a look:

And what have you got to lose by filming the behind the scenes? If the material turns out bad, you don’t have to use it. If it feels entertaining enough, you might just have the next viral video on your hands.

3. Demonstrate how to use your product

This launch strategy is especially important if your product is a bit more complicated and needs some sort of setting up by the user. Creating informative, yet interesting explainer videos will not only win the audience’s interest, but will show them how to actually get the best out of what you’re selling.

Keep in mind though that how-to videos should not only be entertaining, but pass on high-quality information that actually improves user experience.

Take a look at how photographer and filmmaker Chris Hau did it for his Lightroom preset pack:

4. Co-launch with a friend or an influencer

If any of your friends have a strong online presence, ask them if they’d like to be involved in launching your product and, say, post a review on their YouTube or social media page.

Why will this work?

Having someone else besides you as the creator talk about your product will act as a form of social proof to your potential buyers and add credibility to the product you offer. As a result, your customers will be able to make a more informed decision and have a more satisfying shopping experience.

In addition, if your friends have a large social media following, you’ll reach a wider audience than if you were in this all by yourself.

For example, here’s rapper and producer Curtiss King TV’s review of one of DECAP’s drum kits. In the video, King talks about why he enjoys this particular sound kit, demonstrates the beats and lets viewers know how to get their hands on this particular product:

You can also reach out to influencers who might be interested in reviewing your product. Keep in mind to collaborate with someone within your niche to place the content right in front of your target audience.

5. Create a social media account dedicated to your product

Odds are – you already know that social media is a big part of business marketing. Not only does it help you connect with your customers, it also increases awareness and boosts sales.

Even if you have your own social media page as a blogger or online entrepreneur, you might want to create a separate account if you want to, say, launch a product on Instagram.

Having a separate social media account means:

• You can focus all your content on this particular product.
• The link in bio will ALWAYS lead directly to your online store.

Take a look at Hannah and Nick, a couple that travels the world and earns money online by selling presets, creating videos, etc. They have their Instagram page with 204K followers. However, they’ve also created a separate Instagram account for their custom-made Salty Presets pack:

Extra tip: if your original social media page has more followers, keep reminding them to check out your other page to shift the focus to your new product.

6. Incorporate Instagram and Facebook Stories

Instagram and Facebook Stories are quickly becoming popular marketing tools that shouldn’t be ignored when thinking of product launch event ideas.

While Facebook Stories have not gained their momentum just yet, Instagram Stories are used by a whopping 400 million people on a daily basis making it the perfect platform to showcase your newly launched product.

In the case of Instagram, remember that if your follower count exceeds 10K, you can add a link to each story that takes people directly to your product. Or you can even launch the product on Instagram LIVE and share your realtime video to Instagram Stories afterwards. Follow this guide to learn how.

P.S. Don’t forget to create a dedicated Highlights folder that collects all Instagram Stories about your new product – just like DECAP does:

7. Launch a viral giveaway

Just like a regular giveaway, a viral giveaway is a competition that encourages people to enter for a chance to win a prize.

Now, the thing that makes these kinds of giveaways go viral is the social aspect. Once you enter the giveaway, you’re encouraged to earn extra submissions by sharing the contest on social media, liking, sharing, commenting, subscribing to the newsletter or on YouTube, and more.

Simply put, contestants get more chances to win by boosting the engagement on your product (learn more about how viral giveaways work here).

That all sounds nice, but how will this help your product launch?

As people enter the giveaway, they’ll share their contact details (like email) with you or take an action on social media (comment, share a post, “like” your page). This will help you grow your mailing list and build buzz around your new product on social media.

Some cool tools to use to create viral giveaways include:

8. Send out email to all ex-buyers

If this is not the first product you’ve ever launched, it’s very likely you already have some sort of an email list from your previous sales. Use it!

Your previous customers are more likely to expect you to share updates related to new products. Therefore, there is a bigger chance they will convert to buyers.

Here’s how film maker Ryan Nangle did it:

Some important bits to include in your product announcement email are:

• Name of the product
• Launch date
• Benefits
• Offer
• CTA to Pre-order or Sign up

9.  Reach out to media  

Getting online media to talk about your product can help you get that extra attention and reach plenty of relevant people.

Bear in mind though that we’re not just talking about sending out press releases. We’re talking about figuring out what’s the most unique thing about your product and giving the media an exclusive story to write about.

Start by making a list of online media platforms relevant to your niche. Then, figure out what story segments they’d be interested in. For example, you could:

• Pitch yourself as an expert and provide actionable advice.
• Provide unique, never before seen data or content.
• Show how your product solves topical issues.

For example, Dom West is an Australian filmmaker who produces rollerblading films. A snippet of his film was posted on Rollernews, an important platform within the rollerblading community:

10. Post on Product Hunt and other forums

Online forums can be fertile grounds for introducing your new product to the customer, so you shouldn’t take this option lightly.

Take Product Hunt, for example. Product Hunt is a platform that lets users discover new products and has become the go-to tool for product-loving enthusiasts to share the latest tech creations.

The website combines peer referrals with a forum-like format and has gathered a large and active following, including key tech influencers, celebrities, reporters, as well as venture capitalists.

To submit your product, you’ll need to create a personal account on Product Hunt and provide details like

To launch a product on Product Hunt, you’ll need to create personal account and provide details like the name, URL, description, tagline, and the makers of your product.

Here’s our YouTube revenue calculator on Product Hunt:

After posting, be sure to kick off the conversation with a comment about the product. Like so:

Other forums to try out include:

Final words

Launching a product is all about the buzz – you can never have enough of it. So instead of picking one of strategies mentioned above, combine them and try out several to cover different channels.

Have you launched a product successfully? We’d love to hear how you did it, what worked and what didn’t. Share with us in the comment section below!